The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1260401
A-2 Front Wednesday, June 17, 2020 The Press-Dispatch PressDispatch.net/ Subscribe net edition • Exclusive Video • All color photos • Search current and back issues with Add NETedtion to your paper subscription for just $5 See Business Box for special services Page A-9 SCHOOL Continued from page 1 Pregnant... or think you are? Call:1-877-257-1084 or Locally Call: 1-812-354-2814 • Free pregnancy testing • Free counseling and info. on pregnancy options. • Confi dential counseling for women & men who are suff ering from post-abortion syndrome. • Residential Care • Health and assistance referrals. • Training and education. • Assistance in getting baby and maternity clothes washpcc@sbcglobal.net www.washingtonpregnancycenter.com Open: Monday thru Friday 9-5:30; Sat. 9-3 482-5514 On The Square, Jasper FASHION THAT'S FUN FROM LOUDMOUTH! "HEY DAD, GUESS WHAT WE GOT YOU FOR FATHER'S DAY FROM SIEBERT'S!" Pick from a large collection of Tees, Polos, Hoodies, Long Sleeve, Stretch Wovens & Denims & Shorts Perfect for All-American Dads! $10.00 OFF All Men's Sport Shirts thru Saturday, June 13th! Where Helping You Dress Well Has Been A Specialty Since 1922 Adrian Siebert, 5th Generation Siebert, peddling men's clothing. FREE Gift Wrapping, Of Course! Father's Day is June 21st $10 OFF All Men's Sport Shirts thru Saturday, June 20! $20 OFF ENTIRE STOCK Johnston & Murphy Shoes thru June 20! Jenny Cherry gets surprise retirement send off Last Thursday, a sur- prise vehicle parade cel- ebrated Jenny Cherry's years of teaching at Win- slow elementary School. She received well wishes and bottles of Mountain Dew from friends and staff. Cherry received a big hug from Vicki Ox- by when the surprise pa- rade got moving past the front of the school. James Capozella photos FELONIES Continued from page 1 E.), before the vehicle was disabled by OnStar. State Trooper John Davis had been near Arthur on Highway 64 when he heard about the pursuit and he ar- rived just behind Mills. Cpl. Mills and Trooper Davis said the man driv- ing the Buick jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot through a muddy field towards the woods and jumped a ditch. Mills said the suspect was able to get out of the ditch and they lost contact with him. Police from numerous de- partments went to that area and a perimeter was setup. A K-9 was brought in, but police were unable to locate the suspect. It was during a strong storm from the rem- nants of Tropical Storm Cris- tobal. A fter about two hours, po- lice abandoned the search. However, moments later, police were called by Johna- than Beasley, of 226 S. CR 950 E., Oakland City, that a man was on his property and had stolen a water bottle and a can of beer out of his cooler before Beasley yelled at him to get off his property. Police then went to Bea- sley's residence and it was learned a green 1998 Chev- rolet pickup truck was miss- ing. Officers searched the area around Oakland City but did not locate the truck. Beasley described the man as wearing red under- wear with one white sock. Houchin was arrested lat- er that night in Vincennes. During an interview with Detective Brian Small, Houchin said he had hid in a ditch along CR 950 E. until police left the area. He then went onto Beasley's proper- ty and took a water bottle and a beer. As he was leav- ing the property, he saw the truck had keys in the igni- tion, so he got in it and drove away. The standard sentence for a level 5 felony in Indiana is three years, with a range of one to five years. Houchin pleaded guilty in Pike Circuit Court to au- to theft in April 2018. with a Gi for Dad from us! Gis for Dad • Fresh Flower Arrangements Celebrate 201 S. 7th St., Petersburg • 812-354-8793 Mon.-Fri. 9am to 5pm • Sat. 9am-12pm 1853 N. SR 57, Willisville | 812.582.0905 marylousfloral.com | Mon.-Sat. 10a.m.–4p.m. or by appointment. Father's Day By Andy Heuring Two people were arrested for driving while intoxicat- ed last week in Pike County. A Petersburg man was ar- rested on June 11 after po- lice stopped to check a car parked on the side of the I- 69 off-ramp at Highway 61. Jerramy D. Barfknecht, 40, of 609 S. Ninth St., was arrested by State Trooper C.J. Boeckman and Peters- burg Officer Scott Arnold. Trooper Boeckman said Officer Arnold had stopped to check on a disabled vehi- cle and it appeared the driv- er was intoxicated, and Ar- nold requested assistance. Trooper Boeckman said while talking with Barfknecht, he noticed slurred speech and the odor of alcohol. Barfknecht admitted he drank earlier in the night. A fifth of whiskey and an open can of beer were found in his vehicle. Barfknecht failed field so- briety tests and was taken to the Pike County Jail, where he tested 0.117 percent, ac- cording to Trooper Boeck- man. The legal limit for blood alcohol content is 0.08 per- cent. An Oakland City man was arrested after police stopped him while he was riding a moped on Peters- burg streets, not using a turn signal and driving in the wrong lane. Anthony Pride, 33, of Room # 8, Diplomat Hotel, Oakland City, was arrested at about 8:13 p.m. June 11. Officer Arnold said he saw a red moped, without a license plate, driving north on Highway 57 and turn in- to the Sunoco station with- out using a turn signal. He then saw the moped drive onto 11th St, go left of cen- ter on the other side of the road and turn onto Poplar St. without using a turn signal. Officer Arnold said he stopped Pride and while he talked to him, he noticed Pride didn't have control of his facial movements, which Arnold said is a sign of meth intoxication. Pride only had an identification card, but no operator's license. Arnold said Pride told him he hadn't been able to get to the Bureau of Motor Vehi- cles because of COVID-19. The moped was owned by a person in Evansville. Pride failed field sobriety tests and refused a chemical test. Officer Arnold's report states Pride said he would go to jail anyway because he had recently used meth. Arnold also said Pride stat- ed he had not used meth in the last three days. He was preliminarily charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, refusal. Two charged with OVWI in separate incidents By Andy Heuring A former Petersburg woman was arrested on nu- merous charges after police were called at 2:15 a.m. on July 15 with a report of a pos- sible intoxicated driver. Lorry Hobby, 46, of 4691 N. Memory Ln., Petersburg, was arrested on charges of invasion of privacy, a class A misdemeanor, possession of paraphernalia, prior and possession of cocaine, both class B misdemeanors, and maintaining a common nui- sance. Pike County Deputy Jared Simmons said he responded to a report of a Jeep that was "all over the road, as well as turning its headlights off and on." The vehicle had just turned from Highway 57 on- to Highway 356. Police followed the Jeep to Memory Lane. They were pointed toward Ron Evans' residence, where they saw a woman running from the driver's side of the Jeep to- ward the residence. Sim- mons, in his report, stated it looked like she dropped something in a flower bed as she went by it on the way to a truck parked at the res- idence. Deputy Simmons said he recognized Hobby from previous incidents. She had been arrested at that resi- dence before and she had an active protection order against her. While talking with Hobby, Simmons said she displayed signs of being under the influence of some- thing. Hobby told police Evans' daughter had given her per- mission to retrieve her be- longings from the residence. Deputy Simmons stated central dispatch said they had called Evans and he said she was not given permis- sion to come on the proper- ty and wanted her removed. Simmons said police found a glasses case and keys to the Jeep in the flow- er bed. The glasses case had several smoking devic- es with burnt residue in it that field tested positive for cocaine. A search of the Jeep found a glass smoking device in a makeup bag that also had burnt residue in it. Evans asked police to have the Jeep removed from his property and it was towed. Hobby arrested on multiple charges set up fee of $ 3,000, but that would be offset in two years. Blake told the board their liability insurance was going to increase by 3.6 percent. "I believe the quote came back at five percent, but the agent talked them down to 3.6 per- cent." She said the school is getting a $ 3,800 rebate be- cause their buses were not on the road while school was doing eLearning. "I think the average in- crease is 10 percent, so we better take this and be hap- py," said Blake. It was approved by a 5 -0 vote. The board also voted to purchase a zero-turn Scag mower from Petersburg Hardware for $11,586. She said her recommendation on that bid was made before the packets were mailed out. Since then, another bid came just before the meet- ing for a John Deere zero- turn mower at $10,790. The board voted 5 -0 to purchase the Scag from Pe- tersburg Hardware. Blake gave them an up- date on the high school gym bleacher project. She said the old bleachers had been removed and the company was starting on putting the new ones in place this week. In personnel matters, the board accepted resig- nations from middle school Special Education teach- er Mark Giesler. They also accepted resignations from Jordan Froderman and Rae Ann Brock, who were both classroom assistants and were hired to teaching posi- tions, Brock at Winslow and Froderman at Pike Central. Kay Conway was hired as a middle school teacher. Cassi Craig, Barb Jochim and Katina Bailey were hired as summer school teachers. Brittany Biesterveld was hired as a high school guid- ance counselor. The board approved build- ing a new band observation tower for $22,718. Blake said the old tower was not safe. Potter said the board plans to meet more often over the summer as the school year approaches to work on how they will han- dle COVID-19 guidelines. By Andy Heuring Petersburg opened the playground sets at Horna- dy Park and hopes to have the splash park open by Ju- ly 4. Petersburg Mayor R. C. Klipsch said during their City County meeting Mon- day night they had hired a college student to periodi- cally clean the playground equipment and help mow at Walnut Hills Cemetery. He also said their Streetscape project for Main St., Petersburg, that will re- do curbs, light poles and sidewalks along with other things, is set be bid on Au- gust 21. He sald he was signing papers on the proposed wa- ter plant and sewer plant construction projects. "I swear we have been work- ing on that when I first be- came Mayor five and a half years ago." He said the pandemic slowed down the Indiana Department of Environment Management's permit pro- cess because many of them were not working. Klipsch said he hoped they could get that project to bids by 2021 and have construction start in 2021 and completed sometime in 2022. The city council opened bids for paving projects with the Community Crossroads grant received for 2020 part one. The bids were: Hudg- es Paving of French Lick $160,530.47; Calcar pav- ing of Jasper $140,801.38; JH Rudolph of Tell City $155,772.77 and E&B Paving of Bloomington $185,035.85. The council took the bids under advisement to review them. Klipsch said Petersburg had been given $70,000 to deal with COVID-19 ex- penses. He said he wanted to look into getting technolo- gy to be able to stream their meetings if they need to at some point. Huntingburg has a set-up to stream their meetings and he wants to talk with them about it. "This (closed meetings being broadcast) might be the normal way of doing business in the future. We don't want to wait until the last minute," said Klipsch. He said the city was able to get a partial tax draw last week. Property taxes nor- mally due on May 10 in In- diana will not be charged a penalty until July 10. Klipsch said Petersburg got a partial draw and will get another one after July 10. He added they expect to get about $72,000 less this year than last year. In other business, Peters- burg's street sweeper was assessed for needed repairs. He said it appears it would be too expensive to repair it. "We knew it was rough, but we didn't know it was that bad." He said a new sweeper would be $250,000 and a refurbished one would be $109,000. "At this time we can't even consider it," said Klipsch. The next Petersburg meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 13. Playground, splash park to open by July 4